I Love You, Katniss Everdeen
by eekabeeka
Summary: AU. Understated Peeta Mellark has had a crush on Katniss Everdeen forever. At high school graduation, he finally professes his love to her, but in his speech. How will the rest of graduation night go? The movie I Love You Beth Cooper, but with Hunger Games characters, so it's a little different. Rated M for language and adult situations.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own anything about Hunger Games or I Love You, Beth Cooper.**

**the whole story is Peeta's POV**

**Chapter 1**

_I'm standing in the library with my best (and only) friend, Gale. "Look, Peeta. You're never going to see her again." I ignore him and stare at the bookshelf. "After we graduate, she will be gone until, like, the tenth reunion. By then she will be oh so very pregnant._

"_And she'll have this huge pregnant cow grin on her face. She won't remember who you are."_

_I turn to him and whisper, "I sit behind her in nearly every class."_

_He says a little too loudly, "Behind her." The librarian shushes him. He says quieter, "Behind her. And she never sees you. If you don't do this, you're going to regret it."_

I look back to that time at the library and wonder if I'm making the right decision. "And now, your valedictorian," the principal pauses, "Peeta Mellark!" There are a few claps, I'm assuming only coming from my parents.

Shit, here it goes. I stand up and walk to the podium. I clear my throat. "Today, we look forward. We look forward to our new lives and what we will become.

"But, I would also like to look back at our four years here at Panem High School. Look back not with anger, but with no regrets. Regrets for what we wanted to do, but didn't. What we wanted to say, but couldn't." I gulp and take in a breath. "One thing I know that I will regret if I never say is," here're the big moment! "I love you, Katniss Everdeen."

Heads turn to whisper, but I continue. "I say it with no regrets." I shake off my embarrassment and continue. "Now we can all say what we wanted to say but couldn't. We can be afraid to admit, 'I'm a stuck-up bitch, because deep down, I am worthless.'" That was directed at Glimmer. She really is a bitch. To everybody.

The crowd keeps at a dull roar as I go on. "And, we could all vow that when we graduate, we're not going to hang around our old high school like some creepy loser who can't get an adult girlfriend." I slightly stare at the group of men in military uniforms sitting on the bleachers. Cato, Marvel, and Thresh. They graduated like four years ago but still hang around for their girlfriends. Cato's with Katniss, Marvel and Thresh with her two friends, Madge and Rue.

Now I look towards Gale sitting in the audience. He's smiling at me to encourage me to come on.

After the rest of graduation, I meet out with Gale near the parking lot. "Dude! That was amazing! You should have seen the look on Glimmer's face!" Just then the principal walks up. Gale excuses himself.

"Well, Peeta Mellark. That was, uh, quite a speech there."

"Thank you, principal Coin."

"Not something I'd expect from you."

"Well, I just had to tell her."

"What made you think to do it that way?"

"Well, Gale said-" she cuts me off.

"Gale Hawthorne?" I nod. "I wouldn't take heterosexual advice from Gale Hawthorne."

"But, he's right. I needed to do something." Coin still looks confused. "She needs a memory of me." I pause. She's still not following me. "Have you ever been in love?"

She looks off into the sky for a few moments. Then her gaze is cut off by her crossing her arms to cover her chest. I decide not to ask. She pats my shoulder and walks off. That was one of the weirdest encounters I have ever had with an adult, other than almost walking in on my parents having sex.

Just then I see her. Her dark brown hair is in a side braid, as always. Madge and Rue stand behind her on either side. They're giggling. "Uh," I try to say. I don't get anything else out.

Katniss crosses her arms and taps her foot. "You embarrassed me back there."

"Uh," I say again.

"I'll have to let you live, it was so sweet." I hear more giggles from behind her, but now all I see is Katniss.

I clear my throat. "Good. I like to live."

She smiles. "It's like a million degrees out here. Like boiling." She starts to shed off her graduation gown to reveal a short, dark green sleeveless dress. Holy shit she's so beautiful. "I'm so hot." She plays around with her hair and fixes her dress.

Gale comes back and pats me on the back. "Man, I'm so proud of you-oh hey, hey. Hi there." He spots Katniss in front of me. "I, uh, didn't realize, I'm going to go. See you later, Peeta." Gale hesitates then runs off towards the parking lot.

Katniss's mischievous smile fades. "I'm gonna go now." She turns away.

"Wait!" I call after her. "There is gonna be a graduation party at my house. Music, drinks, all sorts of party stuff."

"Sounds fun."

"It will be, and dammit," I run my hands through my hair. "What I'm trying to say is that you're invited. Officially."

"Okay, thanks." She turns on her heels.

"1200 Bakers Way." I yell after her.

"Perhaps we could stop by." She runs off with her friends. I smile and silently congratulate myself.

Before I can think again, I'm brought to the ground by a large body. "Alright, you are gonna get it now." Damn. Cato. I failed to think of him. "You're going to die now."

"Uh," I try and move, but being trained in the military for four years can give you an advantage in a fight like this. I'm not too bad at self-defense, but when it comes to Cato, Marvel, and Thresh, I have no chance.

Cato is stopped by principal Coin. "You know, I cannot allow you to kill him on school property."

Cato lifts me by my shirt and brushes off the front of it. "Yes, ma'am." He smiles mischievously. "I just slipped."

"Sure. You best be on your way." With that she walks off.

I'm left standing alone with Gale. "On the bright side, Katniss Everdeen talked to you."

"Hey!" Gale comes running in and sits up on the counter in the kitchen. I eye him down attempting to tell him not to do that otherwise my mother will be pissed. "You nervous?"

"Why would I be nervous?" I ask.

"I can smell it. Fear."

"I don't smell like fear!" I sniff my shirt. It smells like sweat. I slip it off and start to shake it off. "Puberty has done nothing but screw people."

"What are you doing?"

"Airing out my shirt!"

"What?"

"I don't want to smell like shit!"

Gale is laughing as I run around the island with my shirt in the air. My parents walk in and smile. "This party seems to be going pretty well!" My dad smirks. I throw my shirt back on.

"Good morning Mrs. M."

"Gale, I told you to call me Mrs. Mellark. Now get off of there!" She glares at him. He puts his hands up in defense. She gets her coat from the back of a chair. She smiles at my dad. "I will be in the car." He nods.

When she's gone, my dad brings us closer to him. "There is wine and champagne in the bottom drawer of the island. Don't let people have too much." We both nod. He brings us closer. "Listen to me. This is your last summer before you're off to college. You need to enjoy yourself.

"Gale, Peeta, I know there are a lot of _teen_ things that you haven't had the chance to do."

"What are you talking about, dad?" I am so lost in this conversation. Where is he going?

"You know boys, sometimes you just have to say, 'what the fuck' and live a little. Come here." We lean a little closer. "There are condoms in my bedside table. They are not toys. Got that?"

We nod. He pats our backs and leaves. Gale's eyes are narrowed. "What do you think he meant?"

I gulp. "I think my dad wants us to have sex."

"With each other?" Gale asks.

I wipe my face with my hand. "No."

"Right." He is quick to answer.

**how was that? I remember A LOT from the movie, so you will get more than just the jist of it. **

**In the movie, the guy peeta is portraying, Denis, says more in the graduation speech. he also says that his friend (the guy Gale is portraying), Rich, is gay. I didn't want to make Gale gay. gale isn't gay.**

**please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I'm standing outside on my front porch. I'm looking down the street for any sign of Katniss and her friends. Gale is standing against the door laughing. "So your parents use condoms?"

"That is not a topic for discussion."

"Fine, but-"

I cut him off. "Incoming! Go!" I see a small blue car turn and skid onto the street. It stops right in front of my yard. I gulp when I see who gets out. Katniss closes the door and walks up the walkway to my front door. I just stare at her.

"Hello?" She says. God, she looks amazing.

"Hi, uh, welcome. You may come in." I open the door and watch as Katniss, Madge, and Rue step into my home. Katniss is in my house! I close the door behind me. "So, where's Cato?"

Katniss groans and throws her head back. "Ugh, they're on our shit list. Marvel got all date-rapey with Madge." She looks around. "So, where's the party?"

"It's here." I gesture to our surroundings. I invited everybody, but they're the only ones that came.

You see, Gale and I are outcasts. For some reason in middle school, all of our friends ditched us and we have become the least noticed human beings at school.

"Are we the first ones here?" Rue asks.

"Yeah, we're never first." Madge adds.

Gale chuckles and says under his breath, "Yeah and the last." I elbow him in the gut.

"This way to the kitchen." I motion for everyone to follow. There are various snacks scattered about. "There's popcorn, soda, oh, and the pretzels are fat free."

Katniss smirks. "Are you calling us fat?"

Gale steps in. "Uh, no. Why would he call you fat? He's not retarded or anything." I hate Gale for saying that.

Katniss frowns. "My sister's retarded."

Gale starts cracking up. "You probably don't even have a sister." I shake my head at him. I don't want Katniss to have to remember this.

"Gale!" I whisper loudly.

"No, he's right. She, uh, died." Katniss looks down.

"Katniss, I'm so sorry." I say. "I apologize for Gale's rudeness." I glare at him.

"Thanks, but it was a long time ago."

I hear a cell phone ringing. Katniss looks at hers and groans. She answers it and walks off a little ways away. "What do you want, Cato?"

Madge smiles. "I need beer."

"Uh, we don't have beer. I'm afraid." I go to the bottom drawer where my dad said the alcohol would be. "But we have champagne." I hold up the bottle.

Madge turns to Rue and whispers, "Rue, champagne makes me do…things."

Rue laughs. "Water makes you do things."

"Not normal water!"

Gale grins from ear to ear. "I, uh, I'll be right back." He runs off. I hear his footsteps go upstairs.

Katniss walks back in, still on her phone. "I told you…no I don't…no…don't come here!" She sees the bottle of champagne. "I want some of that." I smile at her. "I'm not telling you where I am or who I'm with, but I will tell you one thing. I'm drinking champagne!" She walks off again.

As I try and open the top of the bottle, the cork shoots at my face and hits my eye. "Shit!" I yell.

Katniss's jaw drops and her eyes widen. "I have to go, Cato. Bye!" She hangs up her phone. "Lay down." She helps me onto the floor. I'm holding my eye. God, that hurt so much! "Get something cold! Like frozen peas." I realize Gale is back in the room. He rummages through my freezer.

"There aren't any frozen peas!" He panics.

Katniss is getting irritated. "Anything cold." Gale hands her a box of frozen waffles. She narrows her eyes at him and shrugs. She gets down on her knees and straddles my waist. She takes out a waffle and puts it on my throbbing eye.

"I'm sorry I'm so pathetic." I say to her.

"All boys are pathetic." She smiles.

"I'm sorry, on behalf of all boys."

"You're funny." She readjusts her position. She's basically sitting on my lap. Then she moves the waffle a little. "How does that feel?"

I moan. Katniss is moving against a part of me that has never felt this way before. She looks down and says, "Pretty good I guess." She gets up. I grab the box of waffles and cover my erection with it.

Madge smirks. They can tell already, why am I hiding it?

I spot a strip of condoms on the counter. Shit, Gale! I nudge Gale and he swipes them off the table. He puts them in his shirt pocket. "Ooh!" Madge squeals. She grabs the condoms out of Gale's pocket. "Party balloons!"

"Those aren't party balloons." Gale says quietly.

Madge leans into the counter. "I know what they are."

I hear a loud crash in the front yard. I run look out the window. Cato, Marvel and Thresh are stepping out of a large hummer. It's parked in place of my mother's garden. Madge looks out the window and squeals. She opens the door and waves. I pull her back in and lock the door. Gale says, "We're gonna need more waffles."

Katniss stares at me in confusion. "He is going to kill me."

"The worst he could do is beat you up a little."

I completely ignore what she's saying and run around the house closing and locking all windows. I get to the back door a little too late. Cato towers over me and backs me into the house. Katniss steps in front of me and pushes him back a little. "Congratulations, you found me." She smiles.

"Not now."

She sniffs the air he just breathed. "Are you on morphling?" He pushes past Katniss and goes for me.

Cato grabs the microwave off the counter and throws it at me. It breaks through the wall where I stood before I ducked. "Damn it!" I run away and go towards the stairs. I go into my room and lock the door. Cato pounds against it. "Got to find a weapon," I mumble to myself. Cato breaks through the door. I hesitate then look towards the window. Maybe I'm crazy, but I go along with it.

I step out onto the roof and climb down the drain spout. I run out of my backyard and into the front of the house. My body meets the front of Katniss's car. "What the fuck? I thought you were smart!"

I get off the ground and stutter, "I did too." I hold my head. Katniss pulls me into her car and into the passenger seat. She drives off. "Where's Gale?" I hurt all over.

"I'm back here, buddy." I look back and see Gale wedged in between Madge and Rue.

The drive is crazy. "You can stop escaping." I say after twenty minutes. "I'm sure we're far enough away."

Rue laughs. "She always drives like this."

There is an awkward silence. "Thanks, Katniss." I smile at her.

"You're welcome?" She questions it little. "For what?"

"Oh, uh," what do I say? What do I say? "Thanks for saving me back there." There. That works.

"Oh, okay then." She swerves around a car. "Stupid drivers."

"Hey, could I use your phone? Mine's in my house." She hands her phone to me. I dial my dad's number, but he doesn't pick up. I leave a message. After I'm done, Katniss yanks the phone out of my hands. "What the hell was that for?"

"Cato is probably tracking it." She throws it out the window and shouts out, "GPS that, asshole!"

Suddenly Katniss stops and turns off the engine. My body goes flying and my head lands on her lap. I quickly get off. I feel my face turn all shades of red. "Sorry." I say.

"I need some beer." Katniss gets out of the car.

"I'll join you." I say. When we get inside, she goes to the refrigeration section of the drug store. I look at her as she takes two six-packs of Corona. She hands them to me. "Wow." I look into her eyes.

"What?"

"Your eyes, I always thought they were brown."

"My eyes?"

"Yeah, they're gray. Beautiful gray." Did I really just say that? Aloud?

"Uh, thanks."

"We got beer!" Katniss joins her friends.

Rue looks surprised. "How'd you manage that?"

"An extra twenty dollar bill can take you a long way." She smiles.

**I just wanted to get another chapter in today…I'm so tired! **

**Review PLEASE!**


	3. Chapter 3

**All rights to **_**Your Guardian Angel**_** belong to Red Jumpsuit Apparatus**

**Chapter 3**

We are sitting around a campfire, all with a beer in hand. Gale is leaning against a tree, Madge and Rue sit at a picnic table, and Katniss and I are sitting on the bumper of her car with the trunk open. I'm streaming my iPhone through her radio.

Katniss takes a sip from her bottle and stares at the fire. My eyes don't leave her. The light from the fire against her skin in the dark almost makes me drool. I hear giggling come from the picnic table. I look up and shoot a cold look at Madge and Rue.

Rue gets up. "I have to pee."

Madge pops up and fixes her shirt. "Me too."

"Me three." Gale throws an empty beer can on the ground and joins the two girls. He looks back and winks at me.

There is an awkward silence after the three leave. I shake my phone to shuffle the music. A song that I don't even know starts playing. I listen intently to the lyrics. I gulp at some of them.

'_Cause you're my, you're my, my_

_My true love, my whole heart_

_Please don't throw that away_

'_Cause I'm here for you_

_Please don't walk away_

_And please tell me, you'll stay, stay_

When the song ends, I turn my eyes to Katniss. She moves her head and looks me in the eyes. I feel my heart skip a beat. "What are you thinking?" She asks.

"Nothing." I can't really tell her what's on my mind. You're beautiful. I want to kiss you so hard. Why does it matter? I already said I love you – in front of hundreds of people. Isn't that enough?

"I can tell you're not thinking noting."

"How so?"

She smiles and takes a drink. "You've been staring at me the whole time." My face gets hot and I gulp. "So, what have you really been thinking about?"

"Honest?"

"As long as it doesn't involve nudity."

"I don't think like that, Katniss."

"Uh huh." She smirks. "Now tell me."

"You."

"Me?"

"I've been thinking about you. I am not ashamed to say it."

"Oh really?"

Should I tell her what I was thinking? "Yeah. Look, Katniss-" A loud roar echoes in the distance. "What the fuck was that?"

Katniss narrows her eyes. "It sounded like a cow."

A few moments later, Gale comes running in screaming. Rue and Madge follow and they are cracking up. "What happened?" I ask, fighting the urge to laugh.

"A cow bit me!" Gale yells. Katniss covers her mouth to hide her smile. "You think that's funny?"

Katniss loses it and laughs so hard. God, she sounds amazing. Madge coughs and tries to regain sanity. "It's so funny!"

"Didn't you hear what I said? A fucking cow fucking bit my fucking neck and you think it's so fucking hilarious!"

"Wait, wait!" All eyes are on me. "Cows can't bite!"

"Well, this fucking cow sure as shit could!"

"So it raped you too?" Katniss asks.

"Shut up." Gale rubs his neck where the cow bite is.

Something smells like shit. "What's that smell?" I ask.

"Oh right," Rue laughs. "He pooped his shoes."

"I did not! I stepped in cow shit."

We put the fire out and head for the car. Katniss pushes Gale back before he can get in. "Oh, no, no, no. You're not getting in my car with your shit shoes."

"I paid for them!"

"Lose the shoes. They're not getting in my car whether you are wearing them or not."

Gale looks to me. All I can say it, "You pooped your shoes."

And with that, Gale leaves them at the campsite. Katniss starts driving. She looks back to Gale, Madge and Rue. "What the hell happened anyway?"

"We were walking around and came across a fence. There were so many cows!" Madge exclaims and giggles. "We climbed over the fence."

Gale cuts in. "Then they wanted to tip a cow. The cows don't like trying to be tipped. Or their shit stepped in." He whimpers. "They came at us and like ambushed us!"

"Dude, you're so stupid!" I laugh. "It's impossible to tip a cow!"

"Well, you should have told me that before!" He says defensively.

"You should have told me you were trying to tip a cow."

"Fuck off." Gale jokes.

.

.

We're driving down the mountain when Katniss looks at me and grins. "Lights out." Katniss turns off the head lights. I'm scared as hell, but I have my trust in this girl. I don't know why I should trust anybody doing this, but I trust Katniss. Everybody is yelling. The girls are giggling, Gale is screaming, and I am laughing my heart out.

Gale finally yells, "Stop the car! Stop the car! Turn on the head lights! Please!"

Katniss turns the lights on and looks back to him, "Happy?"

My eyes widen when I see something ahead of us. "Car!" I scream. Katniss hits the breaks, but a little too late. We skid and hit the back of the car. Katniss pulls ahead of the car and we just stare. The back door opens up and my eyes nearly bleed out of my head.

"Mr. and Mrs. M?" Gale smirks. He's right. My dad has his pants at his ankles and my mom is holding a shirt to her chest. A sight I never want to see.

"Who?" Katniss asks.

"My mom and dad."

Madge laughs. "It could be worse."

"How?"

"I could not be your mom." I stare at my feet.

"This has been fun, but I'm going to die now."

I open the car door. Then I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look and see it's Katniss's. The spot where she touches me is burning. I would beg her not to move it, but she stares at it and her eyes widen. She pulls back immediately. "Peeta, you do not want to talk to your father when his pants are down."

I nod and get back in the car. "Thanks."

.

.

We pull up to a large house, I think it's a house at least. We pull up to a valet and get out of the car. Everyone gasps. Madge works up the courage to say, "Shit my panties," under her breath.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. This is Glimmer Benson's house. We can't go in there." I say hesitantly.

Gale frowns. "Because you called her a stuck-up bitch in front of the whole school? I can't imagine why."

Katniss rolls her eyes. "Don't worry, she's usually upstairs with a guy by now. If she gives you shit, just go for her face. She'll be protecting her new nose. It was a graduation present."

I shrug because I believe her. We walk in and there are so many people. This house is huge. "Bitch." Someone says.

Rue, "Hi!"

Katniss, "Ew don't say hi to her."

Rue, "Ew, you're right."

Madge, "Drinks by the pool!"

I watch the girls walk off into the crowd. Gale puts his hand on my shoulder. "She's your ride. Stay close to her."

"Okay. I'm uh, I'm going to find a bathroom." I shake off his hand and walk off. I get to a door and go in. It's just an empty room. There is a deep voice behind me. "Don't move."

I turn and see Max, the class bully. He has picked on me ever since elementary school. "Well, if anybody's going to kill me tonight, I'm glad it's you." I sigh.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He crosses his arms.

"You aren't?"

"No, your speech got to me." He has tears in his eyes. "Hold me." He puts his arms around me. He's rather large, in nearly every way. It's an awkward embrace. He pulls back and looks at my eye. "Did I do this to you?"

"No, it was an accident."

"Sometimes I-I don't even remember doing it. I just blank out."

"Oh."

"Maybe we could talk about it sometime."

"Sure, that'd be good." I sigh. "Or a trained professional, anything works."

"Hey, uh, see you later." He leaves.

.

.

I meet up with Gale at the bar. He hands me a glass, but I have no intentions of drinking anything. He's staring at the pool table. "You know, it's always the drunk gym teachers."

Mr. Abernathy is helping a girl use the cue. His arms are around hers. "That's just sick."

Gale nods. "Hey, where's Katniss?"

"I was actually-"

He interrupts. "I knew that speech was a good idea!"

"Wait, what?"

"Closure. if you didn't give that speech, you would have never known how imperfect Katniss is!"

"No, I was trying to say is that I was actually going to look for her."

"Damn it, Peeta! You're going to have to give up sometime! You're never going to get her."

"Gale!"

"Well, it's true." Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Gale gulps loudly. "Shit."

"What?" I stare in the direction he is.

"Petey!" Delly. My, as Gale calls her, 'secret shame.' We 'dated' back in the eighth grade. We kissed once, then stopped hanging out. She walks up to me with her friend. "You remember Annie, right?"

"Yes, nice to see both of you." I say lacking as much sarcasm as I can.

"We, Annie and I, just wanted to tell you how much we loved your speech. It was so perspective." He smile turned into a frown. "Oh, Petey what happened to your poor face? Did Glimmer pay for someone to beat you up?"

"No," I begin.

"Or did Max beat you up? Or Katniss Everdeen's boyfriend?"

"No, this was just an accident. I'm fine."

There is an awkward pause. Gale looks at his wrist as if he has a watch. "Well uh, my uh fiancé is getting off her shift at Hooters, so we gotta go." Gale grabs by wrist and pulls.

"Bye ladies." I wave.

"Bye Peeta!" Delly giggles.

**there's going to be an intense part in the next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I know it's been forever…I've been busy…I told all who read, **_Because of You_**, that in the last chapter I posted.**

**peeta's strong…you'll see why**

**Chapter 4**

"Dude, you're getting married?" I said sarcastically.

"No, I lied to get us out of there."

"Sarcasm, man."

"Oh, right." Gale still had a hold on my wrist. We overlook the pool on the balcony. Katniss is standing talking to people. She glances up and smiles. "Man, we have to go if we want to get out before Glimmer kills you." I motion for her to tell her we have to go. She throws her head back, nods, and walks in.

When we meet up with the girls, I hear a female voice as we get to the front door. "Asshole! What are you doing here?"

Glimmer has a boy sucking her neck. He turns his head. Cato. I look to Katniss, who appears to be holding back tears. I clench my fists. How dare he? Katniss did nothing to deserve this. My whole body tenses up. I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn back and see Katniss shaking her head. "Don't. You'll just make things worse."

I whisper to her, "He's cheating on you. Even if I can't have you, the guy who does better treat you with respect." I walk up to the stairs where Glimmer and Cato are.

Everyone but Cato step back. "You ready to die, Mellark?" Cato sneers. I look to Katniss. He follows my gaze. "Why don't you get that tight, pretty ass of yours in my vehicle, all right?"

Katniss stomps off and out of the house.

"What the fuck gives you the fucking right to treat a woman like that?" I scream at him.

"Strong words from such a weak little man." Oh, he did not just call me weak. I swing at him, and he ducks. "Now you asked for it." He picks me up by the collar of my shirt and carries me up the stairs to a room. "Move!" He shouts. People form a large circle around us. Cato puts me down in the middle of the room.

I look around at my peers. "You're going to let him murder me?" No response from anyone.

"Wait!" Thank God. I see Glimmer walk up to us. Never mind. She slaps my face. I feel heat rush through my body. It actually hurt a bit. "I'm not worthless. Look around." I glare at her. "Everyone here loves me…otherwise they wouldn't be here." Pfft, sure. They're here for food, money, and sex. She smiles at Cato. "Cause brain damage." She walks off.

Cato is about to swing at me. "Hold on!" Mr. Abernathy calls. He stumbles into circle. "Ladies, let's make this a fair fight and set some ground rules."

I look at the ground and shake my head. This isn't a fair fight. He has at least thirty pounds on me! He's huge! "You're not going to try to stop this?" I whisper to him.

He ignores me and continues. "no scratching, biting, or any bitchy fighting. No sissy stuff, okay?"

Cato grins. "Head butt?"

"Oh, definitely." He pats our shoulders. "Once the opponent loses consciousness, the beating is done. Okay? Ready and fight!" He steps back.

"Coach Abernathy, I'm not going to fight him."

"Come on Mellark! Don't be a pussy!"

I shake my head at him. "Cato, you won already! You have the girl, I have been humiliated in front of everyone, let's just call it a day? I'm through with all this shit." The next thing I know, there is a pain in my left lower jaw.

"Nice hit Cato!" Abernathy calls. "That's was amazing!"

I touch my hand to my face. No blood, I'm good. For now. "Cato!" I call. He stops celebrating and stares coldly at me.

I run straight at him and knock the both of us to the floor. He pushes me off of him and stands up. I kick my leg out at him and he falls to the ground. I spring up and see that he's already back on his feet. He swings at me and misses. I laugh and punch him square in the face. He falls back and touches his nose, which now has begun bleeding. "Fuck you, Mellark." He clenches his fists.

"Hey!" Someone calls out of the corner of the room. People part and Max comes out. "Nobody messes with my friend!" He charges at Cato and starts swinging at him. Cato must be out of it today because he can't seem to fight back. Or he's secretly weak. Ha, that would be hilarious!

When I get back from my thoughts and into the real world, Max is on the floor next to a broken chair and appears to be unconscious. Cato's face is homicidal, until we hear a car. The headlights shine through the windows to my left. Within a second, the headlights aren't the only thing in the window.

Cato's car is halfway into the room. Katniss's head pops out of the window. IS SHE CRAZY? I just stand there and stare. "Peeta Mellark! Get in the damn car!"

"Uh," I hesitate.

"Get in the fucking car!" She shouts. I run over and get in the passenger seat. "Good boy." She backs out of the house and drives across the lawn to the street.

"Where are the others?"

"Back here." I look back and see Rue, Madge, and Gale. Gale waves to me. "You beat the shit out of him!"

"Not really."

"You lasted longer than most."

"Perhaps." It wasn't really that big of a deal. Katniss swerves through traffic. "Okay, Katniss can you please slow down?"

"Why?"

"Tonight has been really fun, but-"

"I didn't even hear a thank you!" She yells. I am speechless. She imitates my voice, "Thank you, Katniss. Thank you for saving my life!" She pauses. "Again."

"You almost ran me over with," I gesture to the car, "with this thing, owned by a homicidal monster you call a boyfriend who has been trying to murder me this whole night!"

"You're spitting blood at me!" She sticks her tongue out at me and spits.

Madge calls from the back, "Hello people! Keep your bodily fluids to yourself!"

**I really struggled to see how the fight with Cato should end up. Cato wins, Peeta wins, I didn't know...**

**I don't know when the next update will be, so yeah. byes for now!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm sorry for taking forever to update! I'm soooooooooooooo sorry!**

**Apparently my oldest sister had written many fanfictions and posted them on this site. She doesn't go on anymore though. She wrote like 16 Harry Potter fanfics and they are mostly for Ron and Hermione. Her username is **_**Sugarquill824**_**. They are pretty fantastic, so if you like Harry Potter fanfics, do read them.**

**Chapter 5**

Katniss pulls the car into the parking lot of our school. She drives up on the curb and half way up the stairs leading to the doors. "What the hell are we doing here?" Gale nearly shouts.

Katniss ignores his last remark. "Everybody out!" She jumps out and takes a lanyard with a key out of her purse.

I get out of the car and watch her unlock the front door of the school. "What are you doing?"

"Going to school." Katniss takes the key out and opens the door.

"Why?"

"Come on, this is going to be fun! You never have fun." She whines.

"What are you planning on doing?"

"Well, the cheap-ass superintendent of the school district doesn't put security cameras inside the school."

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Is she suggesting we wander around the school? Maybe I should ask. "Are you suggesting we wander around the school?"

"Yep. Pretty much." She says as she grabs my wrist and pulls me inside after her. I look back and see the rest of our group following.

Katniss eventually lets go when we get to the main hallway, which is just the biggest hallway that has the elective rooms in it. "Uh, what are we going to do now?" I ask.

Katniss counts to three very quickly and screams, "Not it!" Before I can open my mouth, Gale, Madge and Rue have already beat me to it. "Thank for being it Peeta!"

"What am I?"

"Count to fifty."

"Seriously? We're playing hide and seek?"

"Any better ideas?" I turn around to see Madge's smirking at me. I shake my head no. "That's what I thought."

I sigh and lean up against some lockers. I close my eyes. "One, two, three…"

"…forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty." I sigh, happy that I'm finally done. That seemed like it took longer than it should have. I shout soon after, "Ready or not, I'm gonna fucking find you!"

I turn around and see a small light coming from the girl's bathroom. I walk as quietly as I can, which isn't doing much good for me anyway, to the bathroom. When I get in, there is nobody in direct view. I crouch down to look under the stalls for feet. Nothing. Then I go to the first stall. Nobody. Second. Nobody. Third. Nobody. When I get to the handicap stall, I find…nobody.

But then I hear a giggle. I turn around and see Rue in the back corner where the sink is. She is completely hidden by anybody who just walks in. Like me.

I help her down and say, "Good spot. You're it next."

"I really don't care."

"Good."

Rue waits in the middle of the hallway while I look for Gale, Madge, and Katniss.

Gale was in the locker bay next to the one I was counting in. Madge was hiding behind a trash can by the stairs. "I'm going to find Katniss. She has to be here somewhere." I leave the three of them to chat amongst themselves while I search. But every spot she could be in on this floor is empty. "Katniss!" I shout. No response.

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I take it out. There is a text message from Katniss.

_Still trying to find me?_

_**Yep. Could you give me a hint?**_

_I can._

_**Then what is it?**_

_I didn't say I would! :)_

Seriously? I close my phone and shove it back in my pocket. Soon after I yank it back out.

_**Are you even on the first floor?**_

_Fuck no, that's too easy. I take it you found all the dumbasses first?_

_**How'd you guess? **_

I laugh to myself and make my way up the stairs. There's no way she could get in any of the classrooms. Unless she had the key to them too. Where did she get the key to the school anyway? I'll be sure to ask her when I find her.

The layout of this floor is very similar to the first, so I look in the same spots for Katniss. She is nowhere to be found.

_**Where the hell are you?**_

_Do you give up?_

_**I will not lose a silly game of hide and seek.**_

_Well then I'll make it interesting._ I can almost see her smirking.

_**How?**_

_Find me._

I shake my head and look around. I squint in the dim light of the school and see a foot sticking out from behind a wall. I smile and struggle to resist the urge to run to her.

When I reach Katniss, she's sitting in a corner. Just plain sitting. How did I miss her? "Hey." I say so quietly, it's almost a whisper.

She shakes her head. "Took you long enough." She pats the spot next to her. "Sit."

I sit and my heart rate shoots up as her arm brushes against mine. "How are you going to make it interesting?" I whisper.

Katniss bites her lip. "Do you really want to know?"

"Katniss, I want to know everything you have to say." It's the truth.

She looks down and I follow her gaze. Before I know it, she lunges on top of me. Her legs straddle my hips and her petite hands prove to be strong and hold down my arms. "What the- what are you doing?" Whatever it is, please don't stop! I finish in my head.

"I have no idea." She stares into my eyes.

I swallow whatever saliva in in my mouth and open it. "Katniss," I look down to her hips. They are brushing against mine and I feel myself getting harder. "Stop moving." I moan quietly.

I close my eyes and try to think of things other than me being a couple layers of clothing away from this beautiful young woman in a more than intimate way. How is that possible? I don't give a fuck.

I gulp and feel something on my lips. When I open my eyes, Katniss's face is right up against mine. She forces my lips apart with hers and gives me a slow, passionate kiss. My arms wrap around her and I pull her closer to me. What the hell is happening?

**once again (if you didn't read the authors note at the top)**

**Apparently my oldest sister had written many fanfictions and posted them on this site. She doesn't go on anymore though. She wrote like 16 Harry Potter fanfics and they are mostly for Ron and Hermione. Her username is **_**Sugarquill824**_**. They are pretty fantastic, so if you like Harry Potter fanfics, do read them.**


	6. Chapter 6

**this was kinda a filler chapter, but at least I updated! I'm working on the next chapter of Because of You, for those who are reading it.**

**Chapter 6**

_I gulp and feel something on my lips. When I open my eyes, Katniss's face is right up against mine. She forces my lips apart with hers and gives me a slow, passionate kiss. My arms wrap around her and I pull her closer to me. What the hell is happening?_

I am quick to respond and move my lips with hers. Why is she doing this? I have to stop this. "Katniss."

"Shut up." Her lips move to my neck and start sucking at the skin.

"What are you doing?" She brings her head away from my neck and stares at me. There is hurt in her eyes. "No, no like why are you doing this all of the sudden?"

"I- I don't know." Tears well up in her eyes.

I kiss her cheek. "Don't cry. Please don't cry." I lift her off of me and sit up. I pull her close and sit her on my lap. What did I do? I get my phone out to text Gale.

_**Haven't found her. Checking library.**_

_Still?_

I put my phone away. "What's wrong?" I tilt her head up so that I can see her eyes. She just shakes her head and buries it into my chest again. "Katniss, I know you're not going to like this, but I'm going to keep bothering you about it until you tell me." Never have I seen Katniss like this. She is always either smiling or angry. She's never this vulnerable.

She sighs and wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. "Do you really care?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, I went out with Cato to a party a month or two ago and we had a huge fight. HE had gotten really pissed off and left me there at the party. But then a little while later he came back and apologized. I don't know why I forgave him!"

I give her a moment to quiet her sobs down.

"He said he could take me home and I let him. But he pulled into this alley and got out of the car. He grabbed me and started kissing me. I went along with it for a while, but then he- he took my clothes off and I shouted for him to stop. He didn't stop though. He just laughed and went even harder. I tried pushing him away but he is stronger than me and just pushed back even harder. All of the sudden, he stopped and I fell to the ground. I heard his car drive off and I was all alone."

"Katniss," she put her hand over my mouth.

"I called Rue and she came to pick me up without any questions. I haven't told anybody about this yet. I did go to my doctor, but I made him swear not to tell anybody."

My mouth was open and I found myself at a loss for words for the first time in a long time.

"And then you came along and gave that speech at graduation. You have said and done things for me that nobody has except for my-" she covers her mouth. "Well, nobody has been so nice to me for a long time. I guess I just wanted to be 'wanted' for once."

"Katniss, you didn't have to kiss me though."

"I know. I just, I just wanted to." She mumbles.

"Are you okay?" She nods. "No, like with, uh, with what happed between you and Cato."

"Oh." She says quietly. She chuckles. "Peeta, I do not have any STDs and I am not pregnant with Cato's child."

"Who's child are you pregnant with?" I joke. That earns me a slap on the shoulder. It goes quiet again. "Did you just kiss me because you wanted to, or is there another reason?" I smile.

"There's another reason." She zones out on my chest.

"Katniss?"

"Hmm?" She looks up.

"May I kiss you?" Her eyes narrow and her head tilts to the side slightly. Oh God, now what? "What is it?"

"Nothing, it's just, nobody has asked me what I want before. They just assume things of me."

She shifts position in my lap, which isn't doing any justice to the situation. I want to kiss her so badly right now. I want to do more than kiss her, but she's not ready. She's just emotionally unstable and probably doesn't know what she's doing. Why the hell would you ask her to kiss you? God, Mellark you're so stupid! "Katniss."

"What?" Her ass digs in further. I press my lips together and close my eyes.

"Please. Don't. Move." I say with my teeth clenched.

"Why?"

Is she fucking kidding? "Uh, I have a cut on my leg and I don't want it reopening." I lie.

Katniss just laughs. I lift her off my lap and we stand up together. "Peeta, your dick is hard every time you are within a foot of me. You think I haven't noticed?"

"Uh-" MY DICK ISN'T HARD EVERYTIME SHE COMES WITHIN A FOOT OF ME! Is it? Wait…why are we talking about my dick?

"And yes."

Katniss leans in very slowly and her lips barely graze over the corner of my mouth before she pulls back. "What was that?" I almost whine.

"A kiss." She smirks.

"No, that was not a kiss."

"Okay then, what is a _real_ ki-" I push her against the wall and press my hips against her to hold her in place. "Peeta I-"

I lock lips with her and gently move my lips against hers until she does so as well. She rests on of her hands on my chest and the other is playing around with the hair on the back of my neck. She moans into my mouth. This makes my hips grind into hers unknowingly.

I leave her mouth and attempt to trail down to her neck when somebody clears their throat. My head freezes just below Katniss's jaw. "Fuck." I mutter as I pull my head back.

"Well, now I know what you two have been up to." Gale smiles mischievously. "Now tell me Katniss, how much is Peeta giving you?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"How much is he paying you for, uh, whatever it is you're doing or were planning on doing?"

"What the fuck Gale?" I clench my fists.

Katniss puts her hands on my arm. "He's not paying me anything."

"Did you drug her then?"

My eyes narrow. Katniss continues speaking. "What makes you think he's forcing me into this?"

Gale's jaw drops. "Wait, so you mean you're actually making out with Peeta because you want to?" Katniss shrugs. "I'm going to go so you can finish where you left off."

I chuckle. "I hate you Gale!"

"Wear protection!" He shouts when he's out of sight.

**I went on a road trip to Provo, UT to visit my sister who's going to school at BYU. no, I'm not Mormon. Anyway, I came up with like two chapters for a new story. It's called **_**Almost**_** so I will post it when I finish this story. Love you all and please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**this chapter is dedicated to peetame for being an awesome reader =)**

**Chapter 7**

"_Wear protection!" He shouts when he's out of sight._

Katniss's eyes are wide and her cheeks are a deep shade of red.

"Katniss, I don't plan on doing, you know, 'it.' I'm not like that." She nods.

"Let's go. If we wait too long, Gale's going to assume things." Katniss nudges my elbow and we start walking in silence. It's peaceful and pleasant. I wonder how she feels about me now. She better break up with that animal, Cato. I disliked him, but now I hate him with every fiber in my being.

She takes out her phone and reads something on the screen. She stumbles and I grab her before she can actually fall. "Thanks." She mutters.

"What happened?"

"Nothing." I raise my eyebrows. "Nothing! I'm fine." There are tears in her eyes.

"No. You're not fine. What's going on?"

"Nothing, Peeta." She tries to give me a reassuring smile, but it is quite a failure of a smile.

"Katniss." She looks away. I put my hand on her cheek and she looks back at me. Tears are streaming down her face. "What's wrong?"

"Can we just go? I'll tell you later." She cries.

I nod and start walking, but she doesn't follow. "Can you walk?" I ask, hoping not to sound too harsh. I go back to her and raise my eyebrows again. She shakes her head and holds her arms up to me. "Apparently not." I shake my head and lift her up into my arms. I carry her bridal style the rest of the way. She lays her head on my chest and wraps her arms around my neck.

I carry Katniss back to Gale and the girls. By the time we get down there, Katniss's breathing has evened out and her tears have stopped.

"Dude! That was quick!" Gale shouts.

I kick his shin. "She's sleeping." I whisper.

Gale nods, but then stops and stares at something behind my head. "Peeta, what happened to her wrists?"

"What do you mean?"

"Here," Gale holds his arms out and I pass Katniss off to him. "Look at her wrists."

I hold up Katniss's arm. There are red marks and bruises all over it. Some of the red marks look like somebody's nails were dug into her skin. Madge speaks up, "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!" I say loudly. Katniss stirs, but stays asleep. She clings tighter to Gale, probably still thinking it's me. He starts to look uncomfortable and I take her back. "I just didn't notice them before. Plus, they would still be bleeding if I did it."

"Good point." Madge frowns.

My eyes widen. Did Cato do this? "You don't think-"

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" I swing my head around. Cato's deep voice lingers in the air.

I shake Katniss awake. She lifts her head. "Hey Peeta." She smiles and snuggles closer to me. "Why is everyone so quiet?"

"Hey Kitty." Katniss jumps out of my arms at the sound of Cato's voice. She hides behind me and grabs my arm.

"Go away, Cato." She says shakily.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Kitty."

"Stop calling me that!"

Cato's face softens a little. Somewhere in his eyes, I see that he's hurt. "What?"

Katniss steps out from behind me. "I'm done, Cato." She crosses her arms.

"No." His jaw clenches.

"Yes."

"It's this guy isn't it?" He gestures to me. "You're fucking him aren't you?"

"I'm not fucking him, Cato." She keeps the same calm and authoritive tone that she began with.

"Not anymore. You're mine." He reaches out to grab her wrist. "I'm going to fuck you again. And again, and again. Nobody is going to hear you scream and cry for help." She tries to fight her way out of his grasp.

"That's it." I push Cato away from her and punch him in the jaw. "Get the fuck away from her."

"Hell no. She doesn't want you, don't you get it? You'll never have her!"

"She's a person, not a possession! You can't just claim her!"

"Oh yeah?" He swings at me and I dodge it. He narrows his eyes. "Well, I'll take her and fuck her right in front of you. You won't be able to stop me or help her."

I swing at him. My fist connects with the other side of his face and he stumbles back. I look back to everyone else. "Go to the car! Now!" Everyone but Gale hurries off. "Gale, you should go."

"No way! I want to beat the shit out of this dude too." He grins.

Gale and I sprint outside and see Katniss, Madge, and Rue in Katniss's car. Katniss is sitting in the passenger seat and the driver's seat is vacant. I run in and start the car. Gale shouts something and falls into the back seat onto Madge and Rue. I back up and start driving away. "Where the hell are we going?" He yells.

"We could go to my dad's cabin in the mountains! He said I could use it anytime I want as long as he's not there with mom."

By the time we are about ten minutes away, everyone but Katniss and I are asleep. "Is your face okay?" She asks.

"My face?" I look in the mirror and I have a few cuts here and there. I've seen worse, so it's not a big deal. "Yeah, I'm fine. So, what did you want to tell me earlier?"

"Oh, never mind. It doesn't matter anymore. Cato was coming either way."

"You knew he was coming?"

"Yeah, I couldn't do anything about it."

I shrug it off, it isn't anything to hold a grudge on.

I sigh. "When did he do that to your wrists?" I look at her left arm. There is new blood on it from where Cato grabbed her.

"When he raped me." She says quietly. "But it's not the first time he hurt me like this."

"Why didn't you break up with him?"

"I've been dreading the moment you would ask that question, but you have a right to know."

**there's the chapter! It took a while for me to get writing. this chapter was kinda boring when I wrote it, but I think it worked out okay…**


	8. Chapter 8

**Whichever one of you that posted under the name of 'Guest' and wrote this:**

_**THAT SON OF A BITCH CATO IS GONNA PAY! HOW DARE HE RAPE KATNISS! She's too good for him. What is Katniss going to tell Peeta? So many question and TOO MUCH DAMN TIME! Update soon Please!**_

**I laughed so damn hard I had to pee. No joke. You and TwiHunger made me want to start writing the next chapter right away. That's why I'm dedicating this chapter to you two.**

**this is gonna be good XD**

**Chapter 8**

_I sigh. "When did he do that to your wrists?" I look at her left arm. There is new blood on it from where Cato grabbed her._

_"When he raped me." She says quietly. "But it's not the first time he hurt me like this."_

_"Why didn't you break up with him?"_

_"I've been dreading the moment you would ask that question, but you have a right to know."_

Katniss sits back in her seat and shrugs. "Before I answer that, I need to tell you something personal."

"Oh yeah?"

She leans in closer to me. "You smell like a dead homeless guy."

"Uh, thanks." I laugh. "Blood, sweat, and tears. Literally." Katniss smiles. "There's more than that though."

"Take it off." She says suddenly.

"What?" Her response startles me a little. "Oh, uh, I can just leave it on, it's fine."

"I'm not going to molest you, just take the damn shirt off." She chuckles.

I shrug. "Take the wheel for me."

Katniss grabs the wheel and I reach down to the hem of my shirt. Driving in Katniss's car with her holding the wheel for me wasn't one of the ways I pictured taking my shirt off for her. Usually it was in my bedroom, but I'm not going to get into that. The last thing I need is my friend to be making an appearance again. "Now what?" I hold my shirt in one hand and take the wheel again.

Katniss is silent. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see her mouth open and eyes wandering over my bare chest and abdomen. I smile at her. Now that she's caught, she bites her lip and looks away. "Now that you're done eye raping me, can you tell me what I'm supposed to do with my shirt?"

"Uh, here give it to me." She takes it out of my hand and rolls down her window.

"What the hell are you doing?" I laugh.

"Let me just air it out a little." She holds my shirt out the window and shakes it. I keep my eyes on the road while she does so. "Fuck! Stop the car!"

I slam on the brakes and hear gasps coming from the backseat. "Sorry!" I whisper loudly. I back the car up and turn it around.

"Okay, stop here." Katniss says.

I put the car in park and get out. Katniss is at my side with a flashlight. She growls.

"What?" I ask her.

"Goddamn Cato. Because of you, I am in the middle of the mountains looking for a fucking shirt." She mutters.

I chuckle, "Yeah, goddamn that Cato." My smile leaves my face and I get serious. "Why did you go out with him in the first place?"

Katniss takes a breath. "Well, in the beginning he was so sweet. He made me laugh. And when he smiled,"

"He was really hot?" I say in a high-pitched girly voice. Katniss slaps my shoulder.

"I don't know, maybe it was the way other girls looked at me when I was with him. I felt so proud. I thought I was the lucky girl that this big, strong Army guy chose."

"And it didn't bother you that he was an asshole?"

"I guess I just made excuses for him because," she pauses for a moment, "it was nice to feel wanted."

"Okay, there it is." She looks confused. "I don't get it. There are so many guys that would love to go out with you."

"For a night maybe." She says quietly. We continue walking and looking for my shirt with the flashlight. "Why did you do it?"

"What?"

"The speech."

"Oh, it's, it doesn't matter."

"No, tell me," she begs.

"It's just, you are popular, have the army boyfriend. I'm me, the baker's son and complete nerd. It's ridiculous to even think that you would want me the way I want you." I sigh. "I guess I just wanted to talk to you. But I never did, and I realized that it was my last chance."

"Peeta," Katniss says. "I'm glad you did." My whole body warms at the sight of her smile. Then she laughs.

"What?"

"Nothing." She smirks.

"No, what is it?" I try and look into her eyes, but they're fixated on my chest.

"You don't have a shirt on."

"Well, yeah that's your fault." I joke. She doesn't have any reaction. "Wanna make out?" Nothing. "Katniss!"

"Huh?"

I just shake my head and smile. "You were checking me out."

"No I wasn't!"

"What did I ask you then?"

"Uh, 'have we found my shirt yet?'"

"Nope."

"Well, you can't blame me!" She stops walking. "I mean, you are like- I'm going to stop there."

"No, no go on."

"Fine. I talk about your body without blushing while you talk about mine without getting turned on."

"Never mind."

"That's what I thought." Katniss pats my bare back and looks back to the road. "Hey look! It's your shirt!"

As I reach out to grab it, a raccoon puts its paws on it and picks it up. "Uh," what the hell do I do now?

"Aww! He's so cute!"

"Hey little fella! That's not food, that's my shirt."

Katniss smiles. "Hey there! Give Peeta back his shirt now."

I take another step and the raccoon screeches at us and stands on its hind legs. Katniss screams (although I'm sure I do too), and drops the flashlight. I pick it up and grab her hand. We run back to the car and lock ourselves inside.

"What happened?" The three in the back are laughing, but Gale tries to hide it, which doesn't help.

"A raccoon took my shirt hostage." I say as I start the car up again.

"A fucking raccoon? Come on man!" Gale laughs.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be talking Gale. I'm not the one that got bitten by a cow."

He's silent after that.

**this was a little shorter, but not by much, than the other chapters. Please review!**

**thanks XD**


	9. Chapter 9

**This chapter is dedicated to ****Katniss901**** because you sent me a message to remind me to continue (even though I was going to update today anyway). Thanks!**

**picture of cabin on my tumblr page: eekabeeka**

**Chapter 9**

Pft, Gale thinks he so macho all the time it's really funny, but pathetic at the same time. One time we were in gym class and we were lifting weights. A bunch of girls walked by, hot girls for that matter. I elbowed Gale and nodded my head to them. He grinned and put a lot of extra weight on the bench press. As he laid down I shook my head at him. There was no way he could lift that. But to my surprise, he got it up in the air for all of two seconds before he dropped it on his chest. Since that day, he has not set foot in the weight room.

I chuckle at the memory at start driving again. I never got my shirt back, but I wasn't really attached to it. Plus, Katniss can't take her eyes off me. Every once and a while I look over and smirk. She looks away with red cheeks, but always manages to look back.

"Take the next left and that should be it." Madge informs me.

I do as I'm told and sure enough there is a cabin. Well, I don't actually know if I can call it a cabin. The thing is huge! I was expecting a little one-roomed log cabin. This is as big as my house! "Madge, is this the right place?"

"Yeah, I know it's a little small, but I'm sure we can all get our own beds if people don't mind the bunks in one of the rooms." She giggles and looks between me and Katniss. "Or _some_ of us share. Either way works."

We all get out of the car and walk up to the cabin. Madge reaches up at the top of the doorframe and reveals a key. After she unlocks the door, she motions us to go in. The main room looks bigger than it does on the outside. "Okay, so kitchen and laundry room and all that crap is down here. There are four bedrooms and three bathrooms upstairs, but one of them is the master bedroom. We have cable and Wi-Fi. Don't break anything." She skips off into a room and shouts, "Alcohol anyone?"

Turns out this is a little patch of heaven in the middle of the wilderness. Madge literally has everything here. Video games, board games, television, movies, food, alcohol, you name it.

After a while, everyone heads upstairs to go to sleep. I stay behind and watch tv. After about twenty minutes, I hear footsteps coming down the stairs. Maybe it is just someone getting water or something. But I am wrong when someone sits on the couch and leans against me. I turn my head and Katniss's eyes meet mine. "Hey." I say quietly.

"Hey." She smiles weakly.

"Can't sleep?"

"No." She sighs and stares at the television for a few minutes. "I broke up with Cato. Like, officially."

"I see."

"He was a dick and forever shall be a dick." She says in monotone. I can't help but chuckle, mostly at her tone. "He just never treated me well." I nod. For now, I'm going to let her speak. "Only one person has actually treated me like a boyfriend should."

Never mind letting her talk. "Who would that be?"

"Some blond-haired kid with blue eyes that professed his love for me in front of the whole student body and their families. What goes through his mind that makes him want me is beyond my mind."

Wait! She's talking about me! "Do you know how you feel about that boy?"

"I don't know for sure, but I may have an idea." She wraps her arms around me and rests her head on my chest. "I have absolutely no clue how to do this, so you're going to have to help me."

"Do what?"

"I don't know what to call it without sounding childish."

"Cuddling?" I laugh at myself when I say the word. "You're right. It sounds a little kidish."

After a while, I feel a little adventurous. I lift Katniss up to sit on my lap and clover both of us with a blanket. "You okay with this?" I whisper. She nods. "If you get tired, just let me know."

"I don't think I'm going to be sleeping tonight. Too much has happened and it will be hell if I even try." She doesn't make eye contact with me. She laughs. God, I love that laugh. "Peeta Mellark, are you tired?"

"No. I just want to know if I have to carry you again." Katniss mouths the word, 'oh' and nods. "Katniss, back at the campfire before Gale managed to get bitten by a cow, I was trying to tell you something."

"And what would that be?" She looks at me, but not into my eyes. Her gaze is set on my lips.

"Back in kindergarten, my dad pointed to you and said, 'See that girl? I was going to marry her mother. But she fell in love with someone else.' I asked him why and he said, 'Because when he sings the birds stop to listen. I have heard that his daughter is the same way.'

"Then we got into class and the teacher asked for someone to sing the valley song. You didn't let her finish the question before you ran up to her and started singing. I listened out the window to hear any birds chirping, but it was dead silent outside." I gulp and take a breath. "I told my dad after he picked me up that I was going to marry you some day and he didn't even ask why."

Katniss opens her mouth but I continue speaking.

"Ever since then I watched you walk home every day. At first I just wanted to talk to you, but then whatever I had started feeling for you since that day had grown stronger throughout the years. I have waited so long just to talk to you."

"And that's why you did the speech?"

"I wanted you to notice me. Before the speech, you didn't even notice me. And once you got together with Cato, I just couldn't take it."

"You could have asked me out before then." She retorts but then covers her mouth. "I didn't mean it to come out that way. I'm so sorry."

I half-smile. "Be honest Katniss, if I would have asked you out would you have said yes?"

"Well, maybe not then."

"Exactly." I look at her lips. I want them against mine so much right now. I gulp before I ask, "Could you maybe sing something for me?"

She hesitates before answering. "I don't know, I haven't sang since my dad died." She says it like it is something that happens every day.

"Please?" I beg.

Katniss sighs and begins singing.

_Deep in the meadow, under the willow_

_A bed of grass, a soft green pillow_

_Lay down your head, and close your eyes_

_And when they open, the sun will rise._

She barely gets out the last few words before she stops. "I don't think I can go any further." I see tears in her eyes.

"It's okay, Katniss. I know what that song means to you." I kiss her temple.

**doo-doo-da-doo-doo. mahnahmahnah. doo-doo-da-doo. mahnahmahnah. doo-doo-da-doo-doo da-doo-doo da-doo-doo-doo-da-doo. mahnahmahnah… PLEASE REVIEW!**


	10. Chapter 10

**tumblr: blog / eekabeeka**

**PLEAE READ:**

****I wanted to give this chapter a title. But just this chapter. All rights to **_**Mr. Brightside**_** belong to The Killers. I recommend listening to the song before reading this!****

**Chapter 10: Mr. Brightside**

"_Hey Kitty." Katniss jumps out of my arms and into Cato's. She presses her lips against his and runs her hands through his hair. She grinds her hips against his and he groans. "My place?" Katniss nods and they run out of the school._

"_What the fuck just happened?" Gale asks._

"_I'm about to find out." I run after them and get in Katniss's car and follow Cato's car._

_I thought she wanted to break up with him. He raped her. Can a kiss really make her forget all of this? I told her I love her and I meant it. That kiss we shared couldn't have meant nothing. Something strange is going on here._

_Cato's car stops in front of an apartment building. I park across the street while they go inside. Soon after a light turns on and I see Katniss smiling at Cato through the window._

_Now they're going to bed and my stomach is sick. Is this all in my head?_

_She's touching his chest now._

_He takes off her dress now._

_Get me out of here! I just can't look because it's killing me and taking control. This is what I get for not talking to her all those years. Maybe this is destiny telling me I shouldn't be with her?_

_This all started out with a kiss. How did it end up like this?_

_It was only a kiss._

_It was only a kiss._

_I've been watching them make out for what seems like hours._

_Now I'm falling asleep._

_She's touching his chest now. He takes off her dress now. Get me out of here! Is this all in my head?_

_Katniss looks out the window and smirks. She grins and shouts, "You should have done me when you had the chance, Peeta. Peeta…Peeta… Peeta…"_

I wake up and Katniss has tears in her eyes. "Katniss?"

"Peeta you fell asleep. You kept shifting in your sleep and you wouldn't wake up." Katniss wipes her eyes and adjusts her dress.

"Oh." I say sadly. Thank God it was only a dream. Shit. My brothers always told me that I talked in my sleep. That's why they know about Katniss...sometimes I would get a little excited in my dreams. "Did I say anything?"

"No, why?"

"Uh, sometimes I talk in my sleep." I mumble.

She laughs. "Why would it matter what you were saying?" I open my mouth and close it again. Should I tell her? "It was about me wasn't it?" Katniss smirks.

"Yeah, but not like that." Shit. "Uh, well kind of like that, but not- damn, it's hard to explain."

"Well your little friend wasn't present so I'll take your word for it." She laughs and I roll my eyes. "So what happened?"

"You went off with Cato and you guys, uh, did, things." I can't look into her eyes when I say this.

"Peeta I'm done with Cato. I don't want anything to do with him anymore. Whatever happened in your dream, I'm sorry." I don't say anything. "What do you want from me?" She says in a low voice.

I have Katniss pinned down on the couch before she can even blink. My fingers are on her hips. I lean into her and kiss her lips. Hands tug through my hair and I my tongue finds its own way into her mouth, my lips slanted over hers. Katniss digs her fingers into my shoulders. I lift her up and carry her upstairs. I go into the bedroom that is vacant and lock the door. My lips never leave hers.

My fingers skim under her stomach and I nearly tripped trying to get to the bed. It smells like wood and pine, but I can barely smell anything but Katniss.

My lips make their way down her jawline. My breathing is heavy and something deep in my throat rumbles when she runs her fingers down my spine. I shove her dress half way up her stomach, our skin is pressed against each other's and my hands are roaming everywhere. "Peeta." Katniss whispers as I reach for the zipper of her dress and rip it off of her. I groan when her chest rubs against my bare chest.

My heart is beating a million miles an hour and I hope she can feel it just so she knows the way I am around her. My pants are all of the sudden to tight. I peel them off and am left in my boxers. Katniss gasps when I brush my hips against her bare thighs. I moan as her fingers are on the waistband of my boxers.

Even though she may not love me back, should I still have sex with her? Are we going to go that far?

"Peeta?" The voice isn't Katniss's. I look up and see Gale standing in the doorway with his hand on the light switch. His mouth is wide open. "What the fuck?"

I'm filled with rage. "Get the hell out Gale!"

"Fine, I'll leave."

I sigh. "What did you want?" Gale looks over Katniss's near naked body and my jaw clenches. I throw a pillow over Katniss and push Gale outside and close the door behind us.

"Jesus forgive me." He rubs his eyes. I slap him on the back of his head.

"What did you want?"

"Oh." He holds out my phone and I take it from him. "You left this in the car and I forgot to give it to you. Your dad called."

"Fuck." I run my hand through my hair.

Gale laughs. "That was some position you were in there."

I punch his shoulder and tell him to go away. He closes the door to his room. I dial my dad's number and go back into the bedroom with Katniss. She gives me a questioning look. _"Hello?"_

"Hey dad, it's me." I say. Katniss's eyes widen and she buries her face in her hands.

I don't even listen to half the things he says, not that it matters. After he takes a break, I say, "I'll see you in the morning, dad." I hang up before he can say anything else. "Sorry about that." I sit next to Katniss and wrap my arms around her tiny body.

"Do you even want to continue?" She mumbles.

I laugh and kiss her head. "Of course."

**damn you, gale.**

**please review :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**this might be the second to last chapter of this story, but I have more information at the end of this chapter. enjoy =P**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

"Do you even want to continue?" Katniss mumbles

I laugh and kiss her head. "Of course."

"Just make sure the door is locked this time."

I shake my head and check the door. "It's locked. But I could have sworn I locked it when we got in here."

* * *

If what happened last night was a dream, then this would be the point in which I wake up alone in my room.

I know for sure it's not a dream for three reasons. 1. I am waking up in Madge's cabin. 2. Someone else's body is pressed up against mine. 3. That body just happens to be a naked Katniss.

I sigh and close my eyes. I feel Katniss move against my body and she rests her head on my bare chest. I tighten my grip around her torso and pull her closer to me, even if it isn't all that possible to be closer.

"Looks like you two had fun." Someone giggles. I shoot my head up and see Madge in the doorway.

"Oh my God," I wipe my face with my hand. "How does this keep happening?"

"What are you talking about?" She laughs. I look down and the blanket is nearly exposing me. I pull it up and cover both me and Katniss.

"I locked the door twice and both you and Gale got in!"

"Oh, I didn't tell you? The locks on the doors are broken." She smirks. "Get dressed we have to get everyone home before our parents call the cops." With that she leaves and closes the door.

I kiss Katniss's forehead. "Katniss, wake up." I whisper. She doesn't even stir. I say her name louder, but she still doesn't wake up. After five minutes or so, Katniss still doesn't wake up. "Katniss, if you don't wake up now you're going to wish you did." I watch as her lips form a slight smile. So she is awake. This could be fun…

I press my lips to her jaw and kiss my way to the corner her mouth. She is about to kiss back when I pull away. She opens her eyes. "What the hell, Peeta?"

I simply smile and get out of bed. After I put my clothes on, I turn to see that Katniss is gone. "Katniss?" I walk towards the bed and look under the covers. Something grabs my leg and pulls me down. I let out a small (but hopefully still manly) scream. When I hit the floor, I'm pulled under the bed. "What the hell, Katniss?" I try to stay serous but fail at the attempt and begin laughing. "Come on we have to leave."

"I don't want to." She says quietly.

I get out from under the bed and pull her so she's standing and see that she's already in her dress from last night. "I have to get home. My mom is going to kill me." She nods and grabs my hand.

Rue, Madge, and Gale are already downstairs waiting for us. Once Gale sees us he starts cracking up. I slap the back of his head and walk, without saying a word, to the car. Gale comes out and looks as if he's trying not to start laughing again. "Dude, did you get some?"

"What?"

"You know," he nudges my side.

"I'm not talking about this with you." I shake my head and look away from him.

"You're gonna tell me eventually, you know it bro." He smirks.

Thankfully, nobody speaks throughout the whole car ride. Eventually it gets down to just me, Gale, and Katniss.

* * *

Katniss pulls up in front of my house. My parents are in the front yard dealing with the tire tracks from Cato's death trap he calls a car. I get out and close the door. My parents look up and drop what they're doing. I walk up to them and embrace them.

"Peeta Mellark, if I weren't so happy for you being home in one piece, you would be in so much trouble." My mom says into my neck. I let out a sigh of relief after she pulls away. "I'm going to make you breakfast. What would you like?" Before I can answer, she speaks again. "I'll just make some of everything, okay?" My mom glares over my shoulder at Katniss. "Unless she already did."

My dad shoos her away and puts and hand on my shoulder. "Did you have fun, son?" I smile and nod. He smirks lets out a laugh. "But did you lose anything?"

My eyes go wide and I feel a blush creeping though my cheeks. "Uh, I- um-"

"That's okay, Peeta, I sort of guessed." My father squeezes my shoulder. "We were worried sick, you could have called."

I shake my head. "I left my phone here." Shit. "Uh, I can explain what happened in the kitchen!"

"Explain away."

"Katniss's ex-boyfriend-"

"Ex?"

"Yes. Katniss's ex-boyfriend came and went crazy when Katniss was here."

"Katniss was here?"

I smile at the ground. "Yeah."

"We'll talk about this later." He lets go of my shoulder. "Gale, you better get home to your family. Your mother is worried about you." Gale nods and leaves. "Go talk to her." He whispers.

I am still shocked that my mom isn't slapping me right now for being gone all night. But what really gets to me is the fact that my dad seems okay with the fact that Katniss and I-

"Peeta?" Until now, I didn't realize that I had already walked up to Katniss.

I close my eyes and shake my head. "Sorry, what?"

"I don't know, you came over here." She grins at me.

"I, uh-" I don't even know what I want to say. "I had a great time yesterday."

"Me too."

I shove my hands in my pockets and look around. I'm usually not at a loss for words, but this girl makes it so hard to speak clearly. My eyes meet hers and I kiss her cheek. She blushes and looks at the ground. Just as I'm about to say goodbye, she puts her hands on either side of my face and locks her lips to mine.

I get lost and put my hand behind her head. "Peeta?" I pull away and see my dad still standing in the spot where I left him.

"Shit." I murmur. Katniss just laughs at the fact that I'm embarrassed. "Uh, would you like to stay for breakfast?" I ask her.

"I would like that." She grabs my hand and I lead her into my house.

* * *

**Okay…I don't know what to do now. This is where the story line in the movie would end. I thought about just doing an epilogue after this because I have another story that I'm in the process of writing. What do you guys think?**


	12. Chapter 12

_**NOT A CHAPTER, BUT READ PLEASE**_

**I started school yesterday and everything has been hectic ever since before then. I have decided this: ****_I WILL UPDATE ONCE A WEEK ON SUNDAYS, AT THE LEAST_****.**** I do have a study hall, so there may be time for me to write then.**

**this may be a challenge with my schedule, but I might make it work...**

**school: 7:55 - 3:05**

**softball: 3:30 - 5:30**

**I get home around 6:00 or so on weekdays, but it's worse when I have actual games; some on saturdays. So ****PLEASE**** understand that I didn't abandon the stories and you can blame it all on school.**

**THANK YOU,**

**~eekabeeka :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**this is the last chapter. I really loved hearing from all of you who reviewed. I thank everyone who read it and followed it and favorite it and everything! I have a surprise at the end that nobody will have expected ;D**

**Chapter 13**

Today is the day. I have been waiting for this day for about twenty years. The doors open at the end of the aisle and a special grey-eyed girl's silhouette is in the doorway. She walks shyly down the aisle and breaks into a run when my eyes meet hers. She looks beautiful in her dress. When she reaches me, she puts her hands up and I lift her into my arms. "Hey baby girl." I kiss her on the cheek.

She bites her lip and whispers in my ear, "Mommy looks really pretty today." She leans back and points to the door she came from.

My jaw drops when Katniss enters the room. The girl in my arms is a spitting image of her; mind her blonde hair which she got from me. Katniss doesn't want to admit it, but our little Emma is like her mother in every way.

Emma was conceived almost seven years ago. It was me and Katniss's graduation night when we "did the dirty deed" in Madge's cabin. Even though we were blessed with a beautiful little girl, I blame myself every single day for getting Katniss pregnant. We shouldn't have gone that far, we both knew it, but we did anyway.

My mom went ballistic when she found out. She called Katniss a 'no good stuck up whore who has nothing better to do than fuck my sons.' Not even a second after my mother's scream rang throughout the house, my brothers had run downstairs to get a good look at the whore who was going to fuck them. I never meant for them to find out. I guess she overheard me and Katniss talking to my dad about it.

"I'm going to put you down so you can go with mommy." I kiss Emma's forehead, put her down, and look behind me. My brothers are there in matching suits smirking at me. They know how long I've been waiting for this moment and won't stop giving me crap about it. Even though I'm twenty four now and living on my own (with Katniss and Emma of course), they still manage to make my life hell. Especially after they found out about Emma.

But no one took it as hard as Cato did. I nearly physically flinch when I think about what he did. It was about three months into Katniss's pregnancy. We were out looking for a house when he came up behind us.

"_Katniss." His voice brakes the comfortable silence between me and Katniss._

_We stop in our tracks and turn around. He stands there alone with his arms crossed. He glares at me, then lets his eyes drift to Katniss's face. They move down to her enlarged belly and his jaw clenches. I tighten my grip on Katniss's hand and look at her. Her eyes are filling with tears and she bites her lip. She clears her throat. "Cato."_

_Cato grabs Katniss and throws her on his shoulder. He sprints off in the opposite direction while she screams and pounds her fists against his back. I stood for a few seconds completely shocked, but then I shook my head and ran after him. Along the way I called the cops, but while doing so I lost sight of them._

_It took the cops nearly twenty four hours to find them. He had taken her back to his apartment (why they didn't think of that, I don't know) and raped her again. When they found him, I was the first inside. Katniss was handcuffed to the headboard. Her legs were tied together, mouth gagged, and clothes ripped up on the floor. She had bruises all over her unconscious body and dried tears on her cheeks._

When the police filed the report, we had told them that he had sexually assaulted her before. Cato is behind bars and will be for a long time.

I try and shake the memory from my head when I see Katniss just ten feet away from me. She takes the last couple of steps and soon she is beaming right at me.

This moment right now, could not be any more perfect. I got my best man, Gale, behind me. I have my whole family here. I have Emma, I have Katniss.

_**Katniss**_

My whole life is amazing right now. I wish this moment with Peeta and Emma would never end. It couldn't be more perfect.

"Peeta, do you take Katniss Everdeen to be your wife; to love and to hold 'til death do you part?"

"I do." Peeta smiles at me.

"Katniss-"

I cut him off. "I do." There's a roar of laughter coming from Peeta's brothers. Do I care? Hell no.

But, I do care about everyone in this church in one way or another. I could even say I love all of them. But that love cannot compare to my love for my daughter and my love for Peeta. I love him so much.

And I always have.

**that's the end. I sorry :( but I will be uploading a new story in a couple weeks. Let me know what you thought of the story!**

**did you like the surprise?! it was Katniss's POV and the fact that she said what she said.**


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